Turkish military says its jets conducted air strikes in Gara and Hakurk regions of northern Iraq on Saturday and Sunday destroying shelters and caves belonging to the PKK terror group.

Turkey has ramped up its operations against the PKK since the past week.
(Reuters Archive)

Turkish military “neutralised” 10 PKK terrorists in air strikes carried out in northern Iraq, the Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralised" in their statements to imply the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

In a Twitter post, the ministry said the air strikes were carried out in Gara and Hakurk regions on Saturday and Sunday.

The terrorists were plotting attack on Turkish bases, the post said.

It added that shelters and caves belonging to the terror group were also destroyed in the airstrikes.

In a statement on Saturday, the Turkish General Staff said had said that the Turkish military had conducted air strikes in northern Iraq's Zap and Hakurk regions on December 14-15, "neutralising" a total of 20 PKK terrorists.

Another statement by the Turkish Defense Ministry on Friday said that Turkish jets had destroyed over 30 terror targets in northern Iraq in an overnight operation.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his country’s anti-terror operations in northern Iraq will continue.

Turkey wasted enough time to intervene with the terror swamp in the east of the Euphrates River, Erdogan said at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's (OIC) member/observer states judicial conference in Istanbul.

“We will no longer tolerate a single day of delay,” Erdogan added.

“We are determined to bring peace and security to the areas east of the Euphrates.”

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the EU - has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children.